Dave Meltzer Of ‘Wrestling Observer’ Explains Why The Rock Might Have To Retire As An Active Wrestler

The last time Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was involved in an actual WWE match, he defeated current Bludgeon Brothers member Erick Rowan in a nine-second impromptu encounter at WrestleMania 32. That was more than two years ago, and as far as Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer is concerned, there’s a good chance that The Rock will have to retire from in-ring competition at some point in the foreseeable future.

According to WrestlingNews.co, the comments were made on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, as the veteran wrestling journalist said that he believes The Rock might have competed in his last match at WrestleMania 32. Earlier this year, WWE had planned to invite him back for WrestleMania 34, with hopes that he would kick off where he left off three years prior and renew his alliance with Ronda Rousey in a match against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Unfortunately, The Rock had to decline that offer due to previous commitments, which led to WWE going with an alternate plan and having Monday Night Raw general manager Kurt Angle team up with Rousey.

Aside from his acting-related commitments, and the money that studios invest in him as an actor, Dave Meltzer thinks that The Rock might have to retire due to his age and his injury history this decade, which includes a hamstring tear he suffered in his WrestleMania XXVIII match against John Cena in 2012, as recalled in a Cageside Seats report from that year.

“There’s too much money in him,” said Meltzer, as quoted by WrestlingNews.co.

“He had a hernia the year before he tore the hamstring. So it’s like he’s been getting hurt in his matches already. When you get hurt once you go, ‘it’s one time’ but when you’re getting hurt a lot it’s probably not a good idea especially as he’s getting older and as muscular as he is.”

The Rock had last wrestled at 'WrestleMania 32,' where he defeated Erick Rowan in just nine seconds.Featured image credit: WWE

With all that in mind, Meltzer stressed that it isn’t 100 percent sure that The Rock will have to retire, given how much he “loves” the WWE and recognizes it as the company where he earned celebrity status prior to his transition to acting. However, there are currently some “extenuating factors” that make it more likely than not that The Rock will have to hang up his wrestling boots once and for all, he added.

Reacting to Meltzer’s comments on Wrestling Observer Radio, Sportskeeda offered a similar assessment of the situation, saying that at 46-years-old, and with wrestling having evolved so much since The Rock’s heyday in WWE’s “Attitude Era,” retirement from in-ring competition might be the best option for him. The publication also agreed with Meltzer’s argument about Hollywood studios and the money they have invested in the wrestler-turned-actor, as things have come to a point where “Dwayne Johnson could now be considered bigger than The Rock.”